Nomad

LOCATION NOTE: There are two locations for Nomad in Zamalek - one is a small shop in the Zamalek Marriott Hotel and the other is the main shop located a bit further down the road from the Marriott and next to the Tunisian embassy. I visited the main shop, which is where I met the owner. When you see the sign for the main shop, go to the left of the building and then up to the 1st floor (2nd floor to people from the USA) to find the shop.Google provides the correct address for the main shop.

Wonderful shop for authentic Egyptian artisan work and handcrafts! The owner is a lovely man who knows all about the traditional textiles and handwork of Egypt and is happy to share his knowledge. I am a lover and collector of authentic handcrafts and textiles and I happily spent several hours in his store and came home with amazing gifts for all my family! If you want to take a piece of Egypt home with you, this is where you should go!!

The store has a variety of different types of textiles, including silk, various types of cotton, and blended fabrics. It also sells embroidery and quilting, as well as beadwork. There is a lovely selection of silver jewelry in both traditional and modern styles. Guys will be happy to know that there are men's t-shirts in the back. In addition to the textiles, there are also various types of pottery, traditional clothing items from Egyptian nomadic tribes and lots of other unique and beautiful gifts tucked into the store's nooks and crannies. We went to several shops in Cairo, but if I were to come back I would skip everywhere else and just visit Nomad - it is truly that good!!

I have repeated this review on Google as well, because Nomad deserves all of the business my reviews can possible generate! It is truly a unique and amazing place!!

We visited Cairo last year and did our research. We skipped the souk and went to the Nomad hotel location. We love all the local handmade goods we bought, prices marked and fair. We were super happy we made our driver track down this place. Don't miss it.

Skip Khan Al-Khalili, go here for your presents.

Located in a somewhat obscure location in Zamalek (I did not visit the hotel location).

Wonderful proprietor.

Items for sale from North Africa, not China. Goods appeared well made and were visually pleasing.

Plagiarized from floramalone's 2012 review (still completely valid in my opinion):
Upstairs in a dusty 19th century building you have to ring a bell and then go in to the charming, old-fashioned shop. Full of really lovely things from ... scarves to jewelry to beautiful rugs. If you want a taste of authentic Egyptian crafts, without the hard sell, this is an Aladdin's cave. Great for presents.

Nomad is a great place to shop for gifts, each piece uniquely blends bedouin/ethnic crafts with contemporary style. I love the colors, artistic display of the wall hangings and shawls, and the comfortable, happy vibe. You will find so many things to choose from; home accessories such as coasters, carpets, a vast variety of silver jewelry and fashion jewelry, printed t-shirts, shawls of every color, bags and more. I definitely enjoyed shopping there and especially enjoyed the ethnic themed balcony with a spectacular view of the Nile. Great prices and staff too.

"I was very lucky when I found the Normad Gallery 6 years ago, when I was staying at the Marriott hotel in Egypt. The shop is on the ground floor at the hotel and the place offers beautiful items you rarely find other places in Egypt. The items were exquisite, either it were carpets, silver items, including vintage pieces, or other rare and beautiful pieces made by women in Sinai, as the most beautiful shawls. Since then I have had the pleasure of reverting back to Egypt once and the Normad shop was number 1 priority to visit, in addition to of course the Egyptian museum. The Normad shops in Cairo, yes there are 3 of them, gives you the opportunity to be the owner of the best of what is base on old traditional handcraft today and which has a history that brings you back to items you see in the Egyptian museum. If you like the best of new and old Egyptian craft go to the Normad gallery when you are in Cairo, I will assure you you will not regret. And if you are at home and would like to buy items from the Normad,s that you regret you did not do when you were in Egypt, go to their website (just google Normad Gallery) and look and choose and have the items sent to your home. I have done it several times, and every time when I open the package I feel like the luckiest person in the world."

the Nomad shops - both at the mariott and the main shop nearby have beautiful artefacts, rugs, carpets, silver jewellery - all reasonably priced. service is excellent with helpful staff

I discovered the tiny Nomad shop at the Cairo Marriott Zamalek Hotel about 15 years ago. A wonderful place for small gifts and a cross section of the best of Egyptian crafts, mixed with some beautiful old Egyptian silver. I then discovered the main Nomad Cairo shop, a 10 minute walk along some very precarious pavements and some rather dangerous crossings - possibly worth taking a taxi or some nerve balm before you head there. The trip is well worth it - upstairs in a dusty 19th century building you have to ring a bell and then go in to the charming, old-fashioned shop. Full of really lovely things from T-shirts and scarves to jewellery to beautiful rugs. Have a look at the tiny room with a balcony overlooking the Nile. Not the place if you like bare minimalism but if you want a taste of authentic Egyptian crafts, without the hard sell, this is an Aladdin's cave. Great for presents. I have bought a lot here over the years and always head here when in Cairo on my regular business trips.

Found the Marriott branch the last day of my trip and was amazed at the quality the fact that prices were marked on everything.

Didn't see anything made in China-----and all items were well made and aesthetically pleasing.

Had bought some similar scarfs (not as fine quality) in a bazarr and a Bedouin rug in a carpet shop for the same pricex---but it took ten minutes of haggling, walking away, etc.

And----Nomad takes credit cards!

I discovered Nomad during my first trip to Cairo some years ago. As a single (blonde) business traveller I find it can be stressful to wander alone in Cairo and in particular in the bazaar areas. I also hate to haggle but do want to pay a fair price. Nomad was a great discovery - beautiful and really original clothing, jewellery and accessories - all with price tags! Lots of traditional crafts but interesting modern versions too. Perfect for gifts and special souvenirs.
There are branches in the Marriott and Hilton hotels too but the apartment has a bigger range and is in a lovely location on the Nile. Staff are very friendly too.